Founder of Ayangil Turkish Music Orchestra and Chorus, orchestra and chorus conductor, composer of maqamic music. He is currently a faculty member and the Dean of Arts and Design Faculty, İstanbul Yıldız Technical University and the founder director of Vedat Kosal Music Research and Applied Center.

Sedat AYBAR, Assoc. Professor of Economics, BSc. [Econ], MA (London], PhD (London), is the Head of Economics Department and the Director of Middle-eastern and African Studies Centre at the Kadir Has University in Istanbul. He is the Director of joint Executive MBA Program of Kadir Has University with Fordham University of New York. He teaches distant study courses at graduate level at University of London's, Centre for Finance and International Management (CeFiMS). He has also worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in London, England. He is currently the country team leader (Turkey] for a joint research project, Emerging Markets Global Players (EMGP) with the Vale Columbia Centre of the Columbia University in New York.

He went to primary and secondary school in Adıyaman and Kahramanmaraş. He graduated from Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir. He has got his master’s and PhD from Stevens Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. He has carried out culture and art programs in various media organizations and published articles. He has worked as editor and columnist in Zaman Newspaper and administrator in Cihan News Agency. Bayhan who is the general manager in IMM Culture Inc., is a member and administrator in various social and cultural associations as the Journalists' Association, Press Publishing Labor Association and Publishers Association. Bayhan who was born in 1961, is married and has four children.

Beate BECKER is a Boston-based creative industries expert who has collaborated with Mt. Auburn Associates on numerous projects over the past twelve years. She is also the founding director of DIGMA (Design Industry Group of Massachusetts) and the New England Creative Economy Initiative.

Edna dos Santos DUISENBERG is economist Chief of the Creative Economy Programme, and former Chief of Cabinet of the Secretary General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development -UNCTAD. Ms. Dos Santos joined the United Nations in Geneva in the 1980s, and since 2004 guides UNCTAD's policy-oriented research, articulating intergovernmental dialogue and implementing technical cooperation projects and providing policy advice on this innovative topic.

Max van ENGEN has graduated from the Theatre and Drama Studies at the University of Amsterdam. He worked as a theatre critic, dramaturg, director, marketing and tourplanning manager, financial manager and advisor in Dutch theater from 1990 until 2009. From 2001 until 2009 he was the financial manager of Toneelgroep Amsterdam, the main repertory theatre company in the Netherlands. Since May 2009 he is Head of the Department for Arts and Culture of the City of Amsterdam. He is also a lecturer in finances and cultural management at the Amsterdam School of the Arts (Production and Stage Management study programme).

İsmail ERTÜRK, who is a graduate of Robert College, Middle Eastern Technical University and New York University, has been giving lectures, doing research and consulting on banking, international finance and economy culture since 1987 in University of Manchester, Manchester Business School. As a director of Global Finance Program, Ismail Erturk has coordinated the Management Program between 1993 and 2000.

GANTCHEV is Head of Creative Industries in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, and Deputy Director in the Culture and Creative Industries Sector. His experience in WIPO involves also Senior Counselor in the Copyright and Related Rights Sector, the Economic Development Sector and the Office for Strategic Use of Intellectual Property for Development. GANTCHEV who holds a PhD in economics from the Sofia University of National and World Economy and an MA in international relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, is a national of Bulgaria. He is a Founding Member of the Bulgarian National Association on Intellectual Property.

Gençsü was born in 1957. In 1978, she graduated from the Boğaziçi University, and began advertising in 1982. Between the years 1984-2010, she had worked in agencies such as RPM Radar Advertising Agency, İyi Şeyler Publishing, F Fstop Film Production, Medyatürk [now Carat) Media planning, MPR Public Relations as a founding partner and an administrator. She is currently the Managing Partner of UltraRPM Advertising Agency. She is also a founding member of the Foundation of Advertising, TESEV and WWF Turkey.

GÖGÜŞ holds a degree in humanities from Üniversite Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), a B.A. degree in journalism and social communication from the same university and a post¬graduate qualification in Industrial Location and Development from the Economics Faculty of Vrije Universiteit Brussel(V.U.B). She has been publishing weekly in Hürriyet Newspaper. A prominent figure in strategic communications, Ms. GÖĞÜŞ founded ZEGO Communication Strategies Center in 2002 and TR Plus Centre For Turkey in Europe in 2006, euractiv.com.tr.

He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in 1974. He studied orthopedics in the years 1974-1978. He studied on knee surgery at Karolinska Hospital in Sweden. In 1981 he started working as a Orthopaedic Specialist at SSK Hospital in Gaziantep. After 1986, he worked as a doctor independently. Between 1998-2003, he worked as General Manager in Konukoğlu Hospital. In 2004 he was elected as Mayor of Gaziantep. In 1992, he worked as a volunteer doctor in Azerbaijan after the war. He was the president of volunteer medical teams which worked after Marmara (1999) and Bingol (2003] earthquakes.

HOWKINS who is the Chairman of Howkins & Associates, is a leading analyst of the arts, media, the creative economy, innovation, copyright and regulatory policy. He is also Chairman of London-based BOP Consulting, a Board Director of HandMade pic and a Board Director of HotBed Media Ltd. HOWKINS & Associates have advised numerous companies, investments, government organisations and cultural agencies and have worked in over 30 countries including. John is the Founder and Director of the Adelphi Charter on Creativity, Innovation and Intellectual Property, and devised the London Intellectual Property Advisory Service. In 2010 he is co-organising and chairing British Council copyright forums in London and Shanghai.

HUI is Professor, Head of Division of Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Culture and Development of the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Associate Director of the Research Institute of Humanities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. A registered architect in both Hong Kong and Canada, he was selected as Lead Curator for the 11th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice Biennale Hong Kong Exhibition in 2008.

After graduating from Mimar Sinan University as an architect, she got a postgraduate diploma from İstanbul Technical University. She attended theDesign Culture and Management Certificate Program in istanbul Bilgi University. She is involved in several projects in various fields about city, architecture, design, art and production. She works as a designer and design manager at her Çelik Dizayn Lighting Company. She has been co-coodinating the "Made in Şişhane" Project, which is about an alternative approach for the city transformation with Teike Asselbergs.

Hüsamettin KAVİ was born in Istanbul in 1950. He has graduated from Istanbul Technical University Civil Engineering Faculty in 1972. He started working in Kavi Enameled Copper Wire and Cable Industry Inc. in 1978. Between 1989 and 2002 he served as General Director of the company. He is currently the chairman of the board of directors of BEMKA Inc., a joint venture company established in December 2002. Between 2001 and 2009 he served as a member of the TÜBİTAK Science Board. Between 2001 and 2009 he served as President of the Assembly between the ICI. In January 2008, he has been appointed as the chairman of the advisory board of Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency.

1988-Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Architecture
1986/1992-Film Sector, Art-Director and Production Designer
1988/1992-Freelance Designer, Freelance Creative Director, Exhibition and Project Producer
1986/2003-Performance Artist
1991 – Founding Member of the TÜRSAK
1992-İSTAV (Istanbul Art Promotion and Research Foundation, Founding President
1993 - DDf (dream design factory), Founding Partner
1997 - DDA (the adquarters) Founding partner
1999 - Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Venture Group, Founding Member
2005 - IDF (international design fairs) Founding partner
2005 / 2010 - IDW (Istanbul Design Week) Coordinator
2010 - DDf Head of Project Development and Design Department

Charles LANDRY helps cities reach their potential by triggering their imagination and thinking as a founder of Comedia. Working closely with decision makers and local leaders and acting as a critical friend, he inspires, facilitates and stimulates so cities can transform for the better. Charles LANDRY is a frequent speaker, writer and facilitator; he undertakes customized research and develops his own projects in various cities.

LEES is founder and director of Creative Cities International LLC (CCI), a consultancy based in New York and London that focuses on the role of culture and the arts in implementing new solutions for cities. Her experience is in the worlds of academics and the arts including positions at NYU, the New School, the Smithsonian Institution, Georgetown University and as Director of Cultural Affairs, British Council, New York. She was founder and artistic director of The Next Stage and for CCI she has presented papers internationally and her article on "Creativity in the City: The New Measure" was recently published by UNESCO Observatory.

Esra Nilgün Mirze is the founder and the chairwoman of 41-29 İstanbul, an independent European network for culture and arts. In 1989 she joined İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts where she acted as the Corporate Communications Director and Advisor to Chair consecutively till 2010. She is the Member and Coordinator of Initiative Group for istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Project, where she also acted as the Vice-chair. After the establishment of European Capital of Culture Agency, she remained as a member of the Advisory Board and currently works with istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency as International Relations Director. Mirze acts as the Head of Turkish Network for Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures on behalf of the IFCA and board member of Les Rencontres.

MITHA studied B.A. Fine Arts under Anish Kapoor. During 1984-86 MITHA was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship to study M.A. Fine Arts at the University of Baroda, India. During 1991 -1998 MITHA worked as leading curator at both Huddersfield and Oldham art galleries establishing a unique reputation for touring international South Asian art in the UK. In 1998, MITHA was seconded at the Northwest Arts Board is founding Director of Shisha the international agency for contemporary South Asia crafts and visual arts. MITHA is a trustee and on the board of Cubitt Artists Studio, London, Future Everything and on the committee of The Shape of Things national Crafts programme.

As a trained geographer and urbanist, Mr. MOULD has been researching all aspects of cities throughout his career. From the social networks of London's advertising industry, through Sydney's filmic landscape to the appropriation of the built environment of parkour practitioners; he is fascinated by the inherent complexity and messiness of the city. Currently working at Loughborough University's Globalisation and World Cities Resarch Group in the UK, he is currently engaged in an ambitious project that is situating cities in the hegemonic cycles of World Systems throughout modern history, from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Dr. Jin PAN is the Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Creative Industry Center and the Professor of Business School in Donghua University. Since 2005, she has been working for the Shanghai Municipal government in promoting creative industry in many aspects: to establish Shanghai Creative Industry Center; to launch "Shanghai International Creative Industry Week" to initiate many international exchange programs. She is also one of key persons in drafting 5-Year Shanghai Creativ Industry Development Strategy of 20052010 and 2010-2015.

SIEGEL is the President of Mt. Auburn Associates, an economic development consulting firm located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Over the past 20 years she has directed strategic economic development plans for city neighborhoods, larger cities and urban regions throughout the U.S. Recently, Ms. SIEGEL has focused her work on the importance of arts and culture to the economy. She has led major studies of the creative economy in New York City, Louisiana, the Berkshires, and Colorado. Ms. SIEGEL is currently leading a team which is developing a creative action plan for Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Yiğit ŞARDAN who was born in istanbul 1963, graduated from Galatasaray High School, Robert College, and İstanbul Technical University Industrial Engineering department. He has been the associate of Fine Arts Advertising Inc. in 1988 and he has been the Board of Directors and president of the agency. Şardan who founded ATV between the years 1992 and 1993, has been the board chairman of the Fine Arts Group of Companies in 2004. He is also the chairman of Yiğit Şardan Advertising Agencies Association.

Mr. Tiryakioglu was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1949. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering of the Middle East Technical University (METU) in 1972. He began his professional career at the PTT Research Laboratories. In 1999, he lead the team that defined the criteria for the Innovation and Creativity in Electronics Award. Starting from 2007, he also lead the team that designed the istanbul Chamber of Industry [ISO] Innovation Award. He is currently a board member of several NGOs and technology institutions and works on subjects such as the wealth increase through urban economies, sector-related plans, and strategies. Meanwhile, he continues his professional career as the head of a manufacturing company and a Board Member of ISO.

TOKSÖZ received his B.A in Public Administration from Ankara University and his Masters degree in the same field from Manchester University. Between 1992-2002, he was the Secretary General of the Union of the Municipalities of the Marmara Region. Fikret TOKSÖZ, who has worked as the head of advisory of International Union of Local Authorities [IULA-EMME] between 1989 and 1992, is the Program Coordinator of the Good Governance Program since 2005.

As a graduate of English High School for Boys and Birmingham University Industrial Engineering Department, has worked for an international consultancy firm Touche Ross [known as DRT) in Birmingham, London and Jersey offices and entitled as Chartered Accountant by passing "Institute of Chartered Accountants". Mr. Ugur has worked for Arthur Andersen, and served as Director of Real Estate Bank Financial Group. He is the General Manager since July 1995 in Borusan Holding which he has been working since May 1989.

SİNANLAR USLU has had her BA. in Bosphorus University History Program in 2001 and PhD. in Istanbul Technical University Art History Department in 2008. Between 1996 and 2007, she has worked in various positions in Galatasaray High School. In the academic year of 2005 - 2006, she has worked as a researcherfor EHESS "Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales" in Paris. Seza Sinanlar USLU who has been working as a lecturer in Yildiz Technical University, Faculty of Art and Design, has worked as a coordinator for Migration in Europe and Local Tradition European Union Project between 2007 and 2009. Also she has been working as the assistant coordinator for Creative Cities and Industries in 21st Century Project.

VASSAF has resigned from Bosporus University after the military coup in 1980. He has worked asa lecturer in Kassel, Marburg and Bremen University in Germany and Canada Mc Gil University, as a clinical phsycologist in Averroes Stichting, Amsterdam and guest researcher in Institute für Höhere Studium, Vien. As a founder of International Council of Psychologists, Gündüz VASSAF, has been the president of International Amnesty, Istanbul. His books are; He has been writing articles in Radikal Newspaper for ten years and has several books.

After graduating from Marmara University, German Language and Literature Department, she continued her graduate education in Yildiz Technical University, Museum Studies Program. Yeşim YALMAN has worked as Operations Manager in History Foundation, Darphane - i Amire, as Festival Production Manager in Istanbul Music Festival, Open Radio (Acik Radyo) administrative management, Fener Daphnis Hotel Business Partner, and HOBIZ TİFAŞ Exhibitions Sales and Marketing Manager, Rock'n Coke Festival of Arts and Culture activities. She currently works as Festival Production Manager at the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency since 2009.

YENİAY who holds a B.S. and M.S. from Yıldız Technical University, has serviced in the engineering and constructing sector for a while. He has started his first political career with the 1992 - 1994 local interval elections and has been selected as a Mayor of Küçükçekmece Municipality in 2004.